And the Breadwinner Is…

Bambi Salvador, an simple Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who has spent 15 years in Taiwan, returns to the Philippines to surprise her family and celebrate her 44th birthday. However, she arrives to find her family home in disrepair and her mother, referred to in the film as Momshie, unable to recall her due to Alzheimer’s disease. When her younger brother, Biboy, admits to mismanaging the remittances she sent and falling into debt, a disheartened Bambi leaves and stays with her close friend, Jovie. After having a vision of her late father, referred to in the film as Popshie, she resolves to keep her promise to support the family after his passing.

Bambi returns home only to discover that her family has mistakenly held a wake for her, and is trampled by frightened mourners who believe she is a ghost. Her siblings explain that she was declared dead after she was mistaken for a thief that stole her identification card who was then fatally struck afterwards by a bus and was unrecognizable after the accident. Learning of her life insurance policy from an agent, Tonton, they urge her to maintain the deception in order to claim the money. Although initially reluctant, Bambi changes her mind after learning that Biboy sold the house to a group of loan sharks led by Tope, who assault him.

Disguised, Bambi attends her own wake but is interrupted by the return of her estranged sister, Baby. Baby supports the scheme and reveals that after her husband died, she too fell into debt while in Italy and had been unable to send money home. After staging her funeral, Bambi proposes reviving Popshie’s bakery and enlists her siblings to help. She discovers her younger brother Boy is gay and supports him, while also teaching Biboy how to bake. Meanwhile, she slowly reconciles with Baby, who is the only one who knows their father’s secret recipe. With the bakery reopened and thriving, the family begins to regain financial stability.

Buneng, the youngest of the siblings, develops a crush on Tonton, who suspects the Salvadors of insurance fraud. During a visit to their home, Buneng attempts to flirt with him but inadvertently reveals Bambi’s friendship with Jovie. Suspicious, Tonton visits Jovie, who unintentionally confirms the fraud by revealing that Bambi stayed with her on the day she was declared dead. Tonton returns to the Salvadors’ neighborhood and finds Bambi alive, prompting him to confront the family and announce that legal action will be taken. Buneng pleads with him to reconsider, and although Tonton admits he has feelings for her, he reveals he is obligated to report the fraud, as the insurance company is owned by his uncle.

After Tonton leaves, Bambi reprimands Biboy for his reckless spending, prompting him and his wife Mayet to accuse her of holding a grudge. Baby criticizes Bambi for being too forgiving, while Boy admits his fear of ending up alone like her. Frustrated, Bambi vents about being the family’s sole provider for years without rest, only to be turned on once she can no longer support them. Their argument is interrupted when Paeng, Momsy’s caregiver, informs them that Momsy has wandered off.

Bambi finds Momsy at a bus terminal, waiting for her daughter to return home from Taiwan. Momsy briefly regains lucidity and recognizes Bambi, who, overcome with emotion, reveals she is dying of glioblastoma. Overhearing this, her siblings reconcile with her and devote themselves to making her final days and 6 months. They redecorate her bedroom to resemble her dream home and stay by her side for her deathbed, as Bambi tells Biboy’s children that she will be taken by a pink airplane to heaven. Bambi later dies, and at her funeral, her family spots a pink aircraft in the sky, symbolizing Bambi’s dream job as a flight attendant guiding souls to the afterlife.

In a mid-credits scene, Tonton ultimately decides against pursuing charges against the Salvadors and enters into a relationship with Buneng, before joining the family for a photo together.

Last Updated: August 28, 2025 at 13:02